


"You kissed me!"

by InTooManyFandomsRay



Series: 50 DAYS DIALOGUE PROMPTS [25]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Arthur Finds Out About Merlin's Magic (Merlin), Attempt at Humor, Author Is Sleep Deprived, Confused Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Fluff, Gaius is So Done (Merlin), Humor, Idiots in Love, Jealous Arthur, M/M, Merlin is a Little Shit, Mutual Pining, Oblivious Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Oblivious Merlin (Merlin), Pining, Pining Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), This Is STUPID, True Love's Kiss, honestly arthur is just so stupid
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-11
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-18 12:08:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29982630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InTooManyFandomsRay/pseuds/InTooManyFandomsRay
Summary: Arthur is feeling something. He doesn't know what it is.  Gaius is completely done with him. Merlin thinks he's enchanted.
Relationships: Merlin & Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Series: 50 DAYS DIALOGUE PROMPTS [25]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2129253
Comments: 4
Kudos: 215





	"You kissed me!"

The first time Arthur felt it, it was right after he had gotten the Mortaeus flower for Merlin. After spending a week rotting in the dungeons, he finally was able to see his servant. Merlin had given him an intense look as he thanked him, and immediately, Arthur felt it.

It was simply a small fluttering of his heart. Such a small thing, and yet, Arthur couldn’t breathe for nearly a fortnight. He was a royal prince, and a prince’s heart _does not flutter_.

After going through the first four stages of grief as he overthought that tiny reaction, he brushed it aside, thinking it must be an anomaly of his body. After all, Merlin was growing to be a good friend, and he had almost died. It was normal for his body to react in such a way.

Right? Well, unfortunately for Arthur, his body did not agree with his thoughts.

\---

The first Monday since Merlin had recovered and gotten back to his duties, Arthur had a row with his father and needed some breathing space. So once Merlin was done tripping all over his room, Arthur told him to pack some food and ready the horses. He did not know if it would be a hunting trip or simply a picnic, but he needed some time to himself, away from the castle and his father.

Obviously, that entailed Merlin would be coming with him.

Merlin sensed his bad mood and thankfully, made no attempt to argue back. Within the hour, Arthur and his servant were riding out the gates of Camelot and into the embrace of the forest.

They rode for quite a while, maintaining a slow and steady pace. Merlin kept pointing out different plants and flowers, _such a girl honestly_ , and gradually, Arthur’s mood had lightened. He paced Llamrei down until was next to Merlin. Their thighs brushed a little and Arthur’s hold on the reins loosened. A jolt ran up his leg and covered his body at the small contact. Merlin hadn’t noticed, bless his soul, and continued to talk amicably about the useful properties of willow.

Arthur willed his heart to settle down, but through the entire trip, it refused to listen, and once again, Arthur was left wondering what the bloody hell was happening to him.

\---

It hadn’t been long since the trip when Arthur’s body reacted again. It was a nice day. He had awoken to Merlin’s noisy self-throwing open the curtains and lamenting about the state of the room. Before Arthur could get a word in, his servant had shoved a piece of bread in his mouth and started to blabber about how he had Gaius’s work to do and so he wouldn’t be available for the day.

Arthur’s eyes narrowed at the way he was fidgeting, and not meeting his gaze. He took the bread out of the mouth just as Merlin mumbled a quick bye and excused himself.

Arthur couldn’t even get himself to be angry. He just sighed and got up. Somehow managing to dress, he walked towards the window with a smug smile. This would show that insolent servant of his that he was perfectly capable of dressing him-

His thoughts came to an abrupt stop when he saw Merlin’s beaming face in the courtyard. He had a fond smile on his face as he crouched on his knees, speaking to a child. His heart constricted in his chest at the sight. The girl twisted the hem of her dress, smiling shyly and Merlin put a hand behind his back.

Arthur’s world came crashing down when a blue flower appeared in the empty palm of Merlin’s hand, which he gave to the young girl. She giggled, twirling a blonde lock of hair in her finger before turning and running away. Merlin smiled as he watched her go before shaking his head like he was clearing some thoughts.

Arthur took two steps back and crashed into his bed. Merlin had magic.

He pressed his fingers to his temple, sensing a headache coming forth. Several things became quite obvious now. How Merlin had been able to save him the first time. Valiant’s shield. Guinevere’s father healing miraculously.

A gasp left his lips when he recalled how Merlin had confessed to being the sorcerer. That absolute idiot! Had he no sense of self-preservation at all?

He took several deep breaths, trying to calm himself down, and decided to evaluate what he knew.

Fact – Merlin had magic.

Also fact – Magic was evil.

Conclusion – Merlin was evil. Or was he?

A snort left Arthur’s lips as he tried to picture Merlin as evil. That stupid boy didn’t have an evil bone in his body. Insolent? Yes. Rude? Extremely. But evil? Couldn’t be. He drank poison for him, for hells’ sake. No, Arthur decided, Merlin couldn’t be evil. However, that meant that everything he had been taught was wrong.

His father was wrong.

“Oh my Gods,” he murmured, pressing his palms to his squeezed eyes. He decided to keep Merlin’s secret to himself. If Merlin wanted to tell him, he would. Until then, Arthur would protect him. And figure out why his chest was hurting so.

\---

Lancelot’s arrival was a welcome change for him. But it brought its own problems with him.

He saw Merlin shoot the man a smile, which even he hadn’t received, and was shocked at the recoil he felt within. Why would he smile at Lancelot like that? He couldn’t even beat Arthur! And Arthur was the Prince! Why wouldn’t he smile at him like that? What did Lancelot have that Arthur didn’t? The simmering rage in his stomach only ignited when he saw Merlin embrace the man openly.

At the feast thrown in Lancelot’s honor, his father was speaking to him about training the Knights, and Arthur’s gaze drifted away only to land on Merlin. Merlin, who was standing very close to Lancelot. They were sharing a thinly veiled smile like they were sharing a secret.

In the back of his head, he noticed his father’s talk fading to a stop, before he barked his name. “Arthur!”

Immediately, he snapped his eyes forward, to find the King glaring at him. He mumbled a quick apology and walked away. He leaned against a pillar and downed his wine, scowling at Merlin’s behavior.

“Merlin!” he called out and was a little satisfied when the man gave Lancelot an apologetic smile and walked to him with the jar of wine.

“Sire,” Merlin said, filling Arthur’s goblet. Somehow whenever Merlin said ‘sire’, he always managed to make it sound like ‘prat of the highest order'. Not that Arthur noticed. Or cared. He didn’t.

Arthur huffed and took a sip before saying, “My cup shouldn’t be running dry, _Mer_ lin. So stop trying to woo my newest Knight and see to your duties.”

“ _Woo?!_ ” Merlin exclaimed, and two bright spots of red appeared on his chiseled cheeks. “I’m not wooing him, you prat. He’s my friend.”

“Whatever you say, Merlin. Just don’t nod off your work,” Arthur gritted out, ignoring the burning in his chest. He was _not_ bothered by another man receiving so much of Merlin’s attention. He wasn’t. Merlin stuck out his tongue and sought out Guinevere.

Arthur was almost glad when Lancelot was exiled. Don’t get him wrong, he was sorry to see him go. The man had so much potential and was extremely brave. And the fact that he knew Merlin had used his magic to kill the Griffin only meant that Lancelot must’ve known. It stung, knowing that Merlin would trust a complete stranger with his secret, but not trust Arthur. So, now that he held Merlin’s complete attention once again, Arthur was more than happy.

He was, of course, no closer to figuring out why.

\---

Arthur decided enough was enough. His heart seemed to jump and dance at the mere sight of Merlin. It did not help that Merlin was around all the bloody time. While it started off with Merlin’s looks and his voice, the feeling only multiplied tenfold at his touches and other tiny moments.

Waking up? Merlin, with his suddenly annoying-turned-melodious voice, was there to grab him physically and manhandle him off the bed. His servant would grab him by the arm or his leg, or sometimes his waist, and shake him awake, sending tiny jolts through his entire body.

Arthur, for the love of his life, couldn’t make any sense of it. He had no clue why his throat kept getting clogged up when Merlin would look at him with a sharp expression and call his name, and he had no clue why he felt the need to search for him when he wasn’t around. He did not know why Merlin’s smile would instantly turn his day better, and he did not know how to cope when Merlin was sad and withdrawn.

He still found Merlin clumsy, and he was still the most insolent and worst manservant in all of Albion. His ears were too big for his face, and he had the self-preservation skills of a torch. And not to mention, there was the whole magic secret he had.

One afternoon, where Merlin was simply lacing the front of his tunic – “Honestly, Arthur, how would you even survive a day without me?” – Arthur unconsciously reached out and placed his finger on his scrunched-up brows. Merlin stilled immediately.

“Arthur?” he asked softly with a questioning look. His lips were parted just a little, and Arthur’s heart decided to go completely nuts. He felt like his insides were melting into a pile of mushy Prince, and he could not take his eyes off the crystal blues of his servant’s.

It was pathetic.

He registered Merlin speaking something, but for the love of everything holy, he couldn’t comprehend a single sound his sorcerer was making. He could hear his heart in his ears now. The room felt a lot warmer than before, and it took him several seconds to force himself to listen to what Merlin was saying.

“-okay? Do you feel ill?”

“I need to see Gaius!” he said as he stepped back instantly, his mind working at thousand paces a second.

“What’s wrong?” Merlin frowned and stepped forward. Before Arthur could protest, Merlin was grabbing his face and smushing his cheeks in, tilting his head from left to right. “You do look a little flushed and feel warmer than you were this morning. Must be the flu. I’ll go fetch Gaius for you.”

Arthur felt tingling down his spine as he ripped himself away and out of Merlin’s reach. “No! I’ll go see him right now.”

“Okay..” Merlin shot him a suspicious look and stepped towards the door. “Let’s go.”

“Alone,” Arthur added. Merlin stared at him with the same skeptical look. “Why?”

Arthur scoffed, hoping to not reveal his panic, “I do not have to answer to the likes of you, _Mer_ lin. Now move.”

He ignored Merlin’s glare on him as he brushed past him and walked to Gaius’s chambers.

\---

“Gaius!” Arthur yelled as he banged the door open. The physician was holding a vial in his hand which he might’ve dropped if he wasn’t so used to being jumped like this. He placed it down carefully and turned to look at the prince, who was sporting quite a panting, red face.

“How may I help you, sire?” he asked, beckoning Arthur forward. Arthur closed the door, thankfully softly, and walked over to the nearest stool and sat down, dropping his head in his hands. Gaius walked to him, unsure of how to treat whatever it was that was ailing his prince.

“Arthur?”

“Gaius, I desperately need your help,” Arthur’s muffled voice said, and Gaius could hear the torment in them. He sighed. “Help with what, sire?”

“I don’t know!” Arthur cried, and looked up. Gaius noted his heavy breathing and the flush in his cheeks which hadn’t faded. “I feel- I feel- I feel!”

Gaius pushed, “You feel what?”

“I don’t know what it is, but it has something to do with Merlin!”

“Merlin?!” Gaius wondered what the boy had gone and done now. He hadn’t said anything out of the ordinary to him lately, so Gaius was completely clueless.

“You see, my chest hurts around him! And, suddenly I can’t breathe! And I get all hot, and shy!” Arthur blabbered as Gaius tried to make sense of it. “I get angry when he speaks to someone. And- _and-_ I feel like I’m having a heart attack every time he touches me! I can’t bear it anymore.”

By the end of it, Arthur had dropped his face in his hands again. Gaius's face paled in realization, and he had to muffle a groan.

“I think I know what ails you, my lord.”

Arthur’s face whipped up and he stared at the physician with hopeful eyes. “What is it?”

Gaius had to physically restrain himself from crying at the sheer obliviousness of the man in front of him. “Love.”

The Prince was motionless for a moment, before he asked, “Love?”

Gaius nodded solemnly. “Love.”

“Don’t be absurd, Gaius. It’s _Mer_ lin.”

This time, Gaius actually facepalmed and turned away. “Everything you’ve described to me is the symptoms of someone in love. So it’s obvious that you are in love with Merlin. Now, please, sire. I have other patients I need to attend to. If that will be all?”

Arthur nodded, lost in his thoughts. He made no inclination of moving, so Gaius ignored him as he continued to brew the potion.

After quite some time, Arthur jerked up.

“I’m in bloody love with Merlin!” Saying that he promptly left. Gaius shook his head at the action. “Idiots.”

\---

Arthur paced in his room, thoughts scattered across his mind. He was in love. With Merlin. _With Merlin_. How did that even happen?! Was it an enchantment?

That thought was dismissed the moment it crossed his mind. Merlin may be magic, but he didn’t seem like the type to enchant someone into liking him. He was so lost in his thoughts of Merlin that he didn’t even notice the man himself step into the room, holding his dinner.

“I got you your dinner, sire,” he said, and Arthur looked up. There it was, the tone again. ‘Prat of the highest order.’ Merlin placed the hot plate of food on the table and stood at the door.

“Thank you, Merlin,” he said walking towards his sorcerer. It was now Merlin’s turn to stare at him.

“Did you hit your head?”

“What?”

“You just thanked me. You never thank me. Are you enchanted?!”

Arthur could only stare at Merlin as the sorcerer seemed to start another rant about enchantments and something about a true love’s kiss, and dragons. Dragons?

“What are you even talking about?” Arthur interrupted him, and Merlin gawked at him like he had grown two heads. He opened his mouth to respond, but Arthur held up his hand. “You know what? I probably don’t want to know. Sit down and eat with me. You look like a small breeze could blow you over.”

Too late, Arthur realized what he had said. His own eyes widened at his offer as Merlin’s eyes narrowed at him.

“Did you drink something? Eat something? Who do you love?” he demanded, stepping closer to Arthur.

Arthur spluttered. “What?!”

“Goodness, I really have to do everything sometimes,” Merlin mumbled, throwing up his hands before he stepped closer to Arthur. Before Arthur could interject, Merlin had placed his hand on the side of Arthur’s neck and pulled him in, placing a chaste kiss on his lips.

When he pulled back, his face was a fierce red, and Arthur was sure his face mirrored that look.

“Well? How do you feel?” Merlin asked, looking concerned.

“How do I- what?!” Arthur screeched. His brain had shut down, and he could no longer control his heart. Merlin frowned at him and scratched his neck.

“Huh. It should’ve worked. The bloody dragon told me that true love’s kiss would break the enchantment.”

“You kissed me!”

Arthur’s brain had caught up with the events and frankly, it was very confused and shocked with the newest revelation.

“Yeah,” Merlin waved his hand dismissing the statement like it was nothing. “But you’re clearly still under some enchantment.”

“Enchantment?!”

Merlin gestured towards him. “You know, blushing, stuttering, not focusing on my words. I just need to figure out who enchanted you.”

“And hypothetically speaking,” Arthur said, mind clicking back into place, “if I was enchanted, how would _you_ break it?”

Merlin smirked. “True love’s kiss, obviously.”

“And you’re my true love?” Arthur raised an eyebrow at him. This was too good to be true.

“Don’t look at me like that! I just found out an hour ago!”

“Merlin, you’re the biggest idiot I’ve ever met,” Arthur stated, before grabbing Merlin’s neckerchief and pulling him into a kiss.

“Wha-mmf!”

This time, it was not a chaste kiss, but one filled with passion and warmth. Merlin’s hand gripped his shoulders and pulled him closer, as Arthur placed his on his waist. After what seemed like a year, they drew apart, breathing heavily.

“What-” Merlin panted, pressing his forehead against Arthurs, “-in the bloody hell was that?!”

“That, _Mer_ lin, is how you kiss your true love,” Arthur smirked, his head getting whiplash at how the events had progressed, but not disappointed. Merlin stepped back, pupils blown wide, and gawked at him.

“So you’re not enchanted?”

“Nope,” Arthur said, popping the ‘p’ with a smile on his face. Merlin stared some more.

“And you kissed me willingly?”

“Yes.”

“And you know about my magic?”

“Yes, _Mer_ lin, and we are due a long conversation about your self-preservation skills. But can you get to the point or you really just that slow?”

Merlin opened his mouth and closed it. Then he opened it again, only to close it. This continued for several moments, and Arthur thought he resembled a startled fish more than a startled stoat. A cute, adorable, stupid fish. When he finally spoke, Arthur realized he was utterly doomed.

“So can I kiss you again?”

“Oh for heaven’s- come here.” Arthur rolled his eyes and pulled him in for another kiss, which Merlin returned very enthusiastically.

Yeah, Arthur thought as they progressed towards the bed while losing their clothes. He was completely doomed and extremely happy with the turn of events.

**Author's Note:**

> MIDNIGHT RANT? MIDNIGHT RANT. It started with an idea. Then it got away from me. And this is what happened.   
> Also, I haven't gotten much time to write. I have two assignments pending and an entire story to rewrite. That's why this update was so late.   
> Hope you like it? x


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